I’d like to share my thoughts and opinions about my stay at DC, as choosing the right hospital for you is such an important decision for an expat Mum.

Throughout my pregnancy journey, I discovered that expat mums fall into two camps: deliver in Doha or deliver in their country of origin. I’d say the divide is evenly split. For me the decision was a no brainier- deliver in Doha. I’d had surgery previously in Qatar and the standard of care I received was far superior to that I’d received at home. I have medical insurance and it covered maternity. It was an easy decision.

I chose Doha Clinic because I’d been there before for a minor surgery. The procedure itself, the immediate care after surgery, and post surgery follow up were all delivered as a high quality service, therefore I expected my labour and delivery to be the same.

In the end I chose to have Dr Maha, an in house doctor at DC and probably the most popular in Doha, for my delivery. I set up a file with her at around 36 weeks. If you plan on delivering with a doctor from a different clinic you should first of all check that they are able to deliver at DC, they will then create a file for you at the hospital.

What I liked about DC

Dr Maha was thorough in her explanations of possible routes to take during labour in relation to medications etc.

She was completely open and accepting of my birthplan.

Delivery rooms were clean and spacious. There was enough room for me to bounce around on the exercise ball, walk around, all my bags (we had a lot including a cool box) and my hubby.

The rooms on the maternity ward were all private. Again they were clean and spacious. I had enough room for Desert Dad and my mum to sleep in there. There was a little fold out bed, a small two seater sofa, fridge and a small wardrobe.

The nurses on the labour ward were incredibly professional and friendly. They answered all questions no matter how small or frequent they were.

The nursery nurses went above and beyond to help me breastfeed. In the beginning they helped me to hand express my colostrum. I’d ended up having an emergency C Section, so was completely out of it and struggling to get Mahari to latch. They were so patient and encouraged me to persevere through the pain and exhaustion.

The care I received after the surgery was excellent and I had a quick and speedy recovery. All medications were explained to me or my husband and I was also offered medication to take home. I was given regular pain killers, in fact I have felt very little pain from my scar at all.

Pain meds were given intravenously and anything in tablet form was relatively small (sometimes you can be given huge pills to swallow and I can’t hack that).

The hospital food was actually pretty decent, with plenty of fruit and veg and protein it made for a speedy recovery. I have celiac disease so they even made sure my food was gluten free. They can cater to a range of dietary needs, just inform the nurses.

What I didn’t like

The flexibility of walk in appointments prior to labour, although I can see at times why it would be appealing, just didn’t work for me. Dr Maha is incredibly popular and therefore it means unless you arrive at the crack of dawn you can be waiting for hours on end to be seen. In those last few weeks when your ready to pop it’s just not what you want at all. However, I decided to grin and bear it because I felt like Dr Maha was worth the wait.

Lack of parking. Ok it’s only a minor issue but I can imagine for anyone due in the height of the Arabian summer walking round in the fumes with a huge bump trying to get from the car to the hospital just isn’t what you want. For those of you who know what driving in Doha is like you will be extra cautious to keep your precious bump safe and away from those crazy drivers.

Lack of information post labour. After Mahari was born no one really told us how often to come for checks with the pediatrician, or that she would need a hearing test that isn’t actually offered there etc. I knew that that people rated the pediatricians at Feto quite highly, so decided to take her there instead.

Overall I would say my experience there was superb. Although my labour and birth didn’t go how I wanted it to in anyway shape or form (those of you that follow my insta stories know how much I wanted a natural birth, but I ended up with an emergency C Section), the care I received truly put me at ease. At the end of it all I had a beautiful healthy baby and that was all down to the outstanding medical team at the hospital. If you are still unsure about where to deliver, I would highly recommend visiting a few different hospitals and asking others what their experience was like. You can take a tour of the maternity ward and labour suite just call in advance to let them know. In the end I feel I made the right choice for me and will certainly deliver there again for baby #2.

Hi Claire. At the time we had Bupa. I’m not sure if Professor Badraldeen delivers at Doha Clinic. I know he does at Al Ahli. He is actually my doctor this pregnancy. I believe a normal deliver is 15,000 and Csection is 19,000. They could be a bit less. We didn’t have to pay as the insurer did direct billing. I highly recommend Professor Badraldeen he is excellent! Good Luck! Let me know where you decide to deliver.